The Cincinnati Bengals can’t afford to sit still at the NFL trade deadline. 

That doesn’t mean the Bengals need to run off and make the wished-for trade by all NFL fans and acquire Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts. 

Running back is a mild need, yes, but a “blockbuster” deal at the position while ignoring other problems would be a misuse of limited resources. 

That’s especially the case when the Bengals have other glaring injury concerns at problematic areas. 

Defensive End

Rookie breakout Cashius Howell needed surgery after suffering an injury during the win over the Tennessee Titans. Cedric Johnson is hurt, too. That means Myles Murphy and Boye Mafe will take the lion’s share of the snaps while Shemar Stewart possibly gets some. 

The Bengals can experiment and play the “see what they have” game with Stewart, sure. But the former first-rounder has been a healthy scratch in recent weeks. Trading for a veteran to deepen the rotation with proven production could make life easier on the rest of the defense and keep the whole rotation fresh. 

Cornerback 

The DJ Turner injury update was good news. But Jalen Davis and Ja’Sir Taylor are still on injured reserve. Josh Newton has been erratic in the slot and overall more often than not. They’re not giving rookie Tacario Davis snaps. Ideally, they keep Turner and Dax Hill on the boundary. But adding more depth at a premium position like this is never a bad idea.

Linebacker 

The Bengals are adamant Demetirus Knight and Barrett Carter are the answer. It’s yet to show up on the field. Oren Burks and Joe Giles-Harris are not high-tier backups in the base defense despite strong special teams value. Swayze Bozeman is on injured reserve. 

It’s not an exaggeration to say the Bengals are one really good linebacker away from being guaranteed contenders. Knight and Carter are so often a part of an opponent’s gameplan, missing tackles and generally out of position that nobody would blame the Bengals for coughing up a pretty big asset for a proven starter from another team.

Tight End

This is quietly a bigger problem than running back. Erick All Jr. is out for the year again and we’ll have the conversation about his long-term outlook later. Tanner Hudson is also on injured reserve. Drew Sample is the No. 1, while Mike Gesicki is more of a slot wideout. Rookie Jack Endries caught a touchdown last week and they brought back Cam Grandy on waivers. 

But overall? The chatter about the all-around All being a key part of the offense wasn’t exaggerated. They need another well-rounded veteran at the spot to keep the packages and concepts they run diverse. And just generally speaking, the depth is really below average. Plenty of names should be available for the right price at this position at the deadline.